Thank you so much to NetGalley and Victory Editing for allowing me the opportunity to read this amazing ARC.

I want to say that I think my review could be different had I been able to read on my kindle, because reading on my phone was challenging due to constant distractions.

I love romantasy, and with romantasy comes a ton of world building. This was no exception. The world building in this book was amazing, although at times a bit difficult to understand.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I’m invested in the story and will definitely be reading the next one when it is available.

If you’re into:
• forced proximity
• meddling gods
• shifters
• bonds/mates

.. this is the book for you!

This book had everything going on for it. It is very well written (a little heavy on the metaphors, but its fine), it has an immersive huge universe with many intricascies and gods to be analyzed and read about. There is so much lore to be explored, i am actually excited about this world.
What im not excited about is the fact that there is not a very big sense of urgency.
Warning: spoilers ahead!
So, Ertha gets kidnapped by the king of another kingdom (she is the princess in her own) and her handler seems to be a nice guy, but we never bother to get to know him, even though he does things that make us doubt that he is a bad man. Instead, it is ok to insult him, it is ok to pine for another man who is a POS (really, survival instincts are at 0 at this point). The handler even mentions that they should talk and maybe clear his name, but guess what, we promptly forget that this was supposed to happen and we ignore it, until the end of the book, where we still arent sure that he is a good guy (im lying, we are sure, our MC seems to be dumber than stones and cant read people).
Also, she steals a book, doesnt really bother to read it, at least not with urgency. The same goes for the journal of the healer before her. The MC keeps telling us that she is looking for a way out, while she does almost nothing towards that goal. Instead we are gallivanting with a slimy man and we are horny, which is more important than survival.
There are warnings that she doesnt listen to, there are good people willing to help if only she opens her mouth and fkn ask some questions. I cannot tell you how frustrating this book was. What do you mean, you were kidnapped, brought into some strange kingdom, of which you know nothing (bc ofc, in her lessons as a child, she did not pay attention to hits particular kingdom, what a nice princess), but you also barely bother to ask around about their traditions and customs, and just generally avoid getting informed about the place you were brought into? How dumb are you?
Also, dont get me started on her magic. MY FKN GOD! Apparently she is the last witch, but she didnt know that she "was special". No, lady, your white hair is just a coincidence. Feeling ancient artefacts is just a thing you feel. And when she learns that she is a witch, at the ripe age of 22 or so, all of a sudden, she can feel the magic, and communicate with it. The magic inside herself is sentient. Give me a break. There are so many plotholes, this is actually making me lose braincells.
is nobody proofreading these? are readers just mindless skulls to publishers?

I am once again profoundly dissappointed by the romantasy bubble. Being horny is always more important than actually sound plot.

My Goodreads review - posted today - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7733153364

I was drawn to reading The Seventh Sister when I saw its beautiful book cover online! They say don't judge a book by its cover, but I am completely going to choose what I read by its cover!
When I read the blurb as well, I thought this book is a bit of me.
Now, this was marketed as a Romantasy, but I would say it's much more of a fantasy with a pinch of romance. There are two love interests in this story; Fenris and Kastor. Both of them I am very much intrigued about, especially Fenris, as he is a closed-off character who doesn't give much away.
I believe Fenris and Erther, despite their animosity, should have more chemistry to be believable for the rest of the series however.

The writing is very lyrical, but also maybe too lyrical? Sometimes I was lost with what was happening in the story, because I was swept in a whirlpool of metaphors and prose.
There is a rather large glossary at the beginning of this story, which made me rather nervous to begin with; I wasn't sure how well I'd be able to get into the book if I went back and forth between the story and the glossary. It did prove to be a little difficult to keep track of who is who and what is what, but I was also in awe of the author's imagination and creativity. There is brilliant lore and world-building within The Seventh Sister.

When the story ended, I was a little underwhelmed as I seemed to be left with many more questions than answers. It's great to leave readers wanting to know more so they continue the series; however, in this case, it left me rather confused. For example, I'm unclear of what the main character's objective with the Red Lady is.

Overall this is the start to a great fantasy series. I hope the second book brings much more romantic chemistry and answers <3

If you're into dark fantasy, morally complex characters, and prose that will gut-punch you and make you thank it for doing so — this one’s for you.

I first noticed this book because its cover stood out to me. After reading the synopsis, I was sold. I genuinely think this story is best enjoyed the less you know about it beforehand.

Synopsis
Ertha is stolen away to the enemy kingdom, where she finds herself caught in secrets and betrayals. In the end, the question isn’t just who to trust or how to get home, but also who she is — and what kind of world she’s been born into.

What to Expect
🐺 First in a Duology
🐦‍⬛ First-Person POV
🐺 Forced Proximity
🐦‍⬛ Magical Bond / Mates
🐺 Slow Burn
🐦‍⬛ Hidden Identity

Ertha’s world is a dark one, her path splattered with gore and cruelty — but also wonder.

"But the Sons of Uthar had come, and the reality was far worse than what I’d imagined as a child in my bed — despite the fact, or maybe because of the fact, that they were, after all, real flesh-and-blood men."

Despite taking my time with this book, it wasn’t boring by any means. I’m grateful for the opportunity to fold my braincells around its words. The prose especially stood out to me: brutal and raw, yet lush and precise. It combines as many contradictions as Ertha’s beliefs about who to trust.

I often found myself pausing in admiration at the author’s word choices — in the best way. More often than not, that amazement came from small, subtle details rather than sweeping, revolutionary prose. Still, it reminded me why I first fell in love with literature: the sheer power of words and how they shape the world — especially the one presented here, built word by word as an ode to the beauty of language.

The worldbuilding is especially detailed when it comes to the lore — particularly the deities. One example is an Emrys, which gave me strong Greek mythology vibes, which luckily I enjoy. A glossary is included, and I definitely had to refer back to it a few times — a lot of names get thrown around. That made it a bit tricky to keep track of who’s who, especially since some characters have limited page time or aren’t introduced in much detail.

The plot progression felt natural overall, though I would’ve liked a bit more detail in certain areas. The romance is more of a subplot at this stage, and if you enjoy a slow burn, this definitely lays the groundwork. I was invested in the MLC and hoped he’d become the love interest — fingers crossed the sequel delivers more in that department!

Some twists I saw coming, and others completely blindsided me. Personally, I enjoyed this balance — it gave me just enough stress over plot developments while still letting my smart-ass reader instincts enjoy a little treat every now and then.

Characters
Ertha is a great heroine, and I really enjoyed spending time with her. Given her upbringing, she’s not experienced in the romance department, and it was exciting to watch that part of her slowly come to life. What I especially liked is that she didn’t strike me as overly naive — she acknowledges her feelings and emerging sexual fantasies bit by bit. She also knows how to use her skills to her advantage, like when she checks for poison. Small moments like that made her feel grounded and capable.

"It had been a stupid and wistful thought at best, to wonder if he was feeling as raw and hollow on the inside as I was. A man baptized in that much blood could not possibly fathom the ache of an empty chest where a heart had once beat for those you’d loved and lost."

📖 Dates Read: June 5th, 2025 – July 13th, 2025
📅 Pub Date: August 6th, 2025

A huge thanks to M. A. Brown, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

'The Seventh Sister' is a classic romantasy, perfect for a quick and "fun" read.

("Fun" because while it is, it's also quite dark and terrifying in terms of sexual harassment and assault)

The book was fine ; it played a bit too much into the stereotypes of romantasy in my opinion. While it was enjoyable, sometimes it felt too much like every other romantasy.
But should we say romantasy or lustasy? Because lust is all you'll find.
Of course, as soon as you get introduced to the love interest (which, kudos for the author, is still hated by our MC) you just know he's going to be the endgame. And also, by the end of the book, you still don't know anything about him, or his motivations.
Ah, and our classic naïve MC, who discovers she has magic, ditches her morals real fast for hot men, and falls for the wrong guy because she's naïve. Her naïveté is explained by her sheltered life but still, she looked pretty stupid, specially because she's supposed to be around 23-24 I think.

Anyway, the book was fine.

Despite the book consisting of the usual tropes, the story felt unique within its vibrant Norse setting.

Unfortunately, the writing was very repetitive in places, to the point where I had put the book down for several weeks due to travelling but when I picked it back up the inner monologue reiterated everything that had happened in the previous chapters so I was right back up to speed.

We did get the promised dark romance in small doses. Although I enjoyed the final 1/3 of the book more, the ending fell flat as it was solely based on mostly avoidable miscommunication.

3.25 ⭐️

I recently read *The Seventh Sister* by M.A. Brown and I’m giving it 3.5 ⭐️It’s a beautifully written, emotionally resonant dark romantasy set in a vivid, Norse-inspired world that drew me in right away. Ertha, our healer heroine, is compelling—flawed yet determined, and I found her journey believable and engaging. I loved the rich world-building and mythology; it truly evoked “Witcher & Viking vibes,” weaving magic and prophecy into the storyline with finesse. The supporting cast—including Munin and Hugin—brought warmth and texture to the plot, though their mythological names felt a bit on-the-nose. The slow burn romance had its moments, especially between Ertha and the soldier she healed, creating emotional stakes I cared about—but if you’re expecting a steamy, fast-paced love story, this leans more subtle and restrained. Pacing-wise, the story takes its time, which is perfect if you enjoy atmospheric buildup, but it might feel a bit slow to readers craving constant tension . One small quibble: the invented spelling of “dey” for “day” was a bit distracting and pulled me out of the flow.

Overall, *The Seventh Sister* impressed me with its lyrical prose, emotional depth, and haunting Norse-flavored setting. I really enjoyed it, but the deliberate pacing and minor stylistic choices kept me from bumping it up to 4 stars. If you love character-driven, atmospheric romantasy that unfolds like a dark fairy tale, this one’s worth reading—just go in knowing it won't rush you.

Thank you to Netgalley and Victory Editing for the e-ARC.

DNF at 20%

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I wanted to give this book a far shot, so I tried to push myself through but in the end I just couldn’t. The cover caught my eye, and the chapter art is pretty. The book sounded interesting based on the description, but the execution fell flat. My main issue with the book is that it’s telling me rather than showing me, which is one of my biggest turn-offs in books. Lastly, with a bit more editing and revising, I believe the writing quality could be improved.

Overall, I’m glad that others enjoyed the story, but unfortunately it was not for me.

The Seventh Sister by M.A. Brown is a 5 star read from me. I loved this story so much!!! I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic.

The Seventh Sister is about a healer who gets taken from her home, and we get to watch her try to figure out her way back while she survives in a new place. As she uncovers more about what is around her, she finds that her being taken was not an accident. 

This world was really interesting to me since we are immersed in the writing, magic system, and the world’s terms. There are many fairytale aspects that I tend to like in fantasy books. I was also interested in where the plot was going, especially in the end. I enjoyed reading this, but I wish more had been revealed at the end. I also need to say the art in the book was so pretty and definitely enhanced the experience. 🌱🌓

I didn’t love the two love interests since I didn’t think there was much to get attached to with them. I also wish they just told her more information about themselves or some of the secrets they were keeping. I did like the other side characters, though! I also wish that the reveals made more sense at the end or were hinted at, but since I am invested in the plot, I will be reading the next book!📖 Thank you NetGalley for the Arc!

4⭐️s!

Not quite my thing but a decent enough read, some thoughts though.

Worldbuilding wise I think it was pretty decent, nothing too out there but there was effort to weave the spirituality into the lives of the characters. Some replacement of words made sense on one hand but felt a little like an affectation considering the dialogue is for the most part pretty modern sounding…

The characters for the most part were likeable enough if a little basic - I do wish we explored them a bit more broadly. I did really like the friendship dynamics though! I think Ertha was a neat character, I enjoyed that she had principles and her healing abilities were cool. I did find her occasionally a bit naive and a bit too needlessly argumentative in a context where that could’ve got her hurt. But her voice was decent and she was okay to follow. I don’t really see why we should like the Sons as a whole though, Ertha just seemed to suddenly thaw towards them.

I wasn’t super sold on any romance aspects, largely because it all felt instalust and the characters didn’t really have enough interaction or depth for me to be invested. I didn’t like the way the explicit interactions were written, not for me haha. They felt very misplaced in tones and the same words were used, and they just weren’t super pleasant. I think the threats of assault just felt kind of icky especially in a book where we are describing someones pretty dress in detail, but I get this is the “dark” part of the romantasy. I also feel more generally, in a scenario where the vibe is enemies to lovers in a very true sense where one group is doing something awful, there needs to be a lot more legwork to redeem the character, otherwise it does just sour it a lot. Perhaps the men being a lot kinder than expected -to her at least - was the point, but this feels pretty weak considering Ertha initially believes they are murderous monsters?

The writing was competent, while paced fairly slow and more focused on the telling rather than depicting anything in detail. Some cool imagery! Plotwise there’s very little action, a lot of talking which almost feels political fantasy adjacent. I do wish we discovered information a little more actively rather than large chunks being revealed at a time in conversation or in text, just because it is always a lot more satisfying to piece clues together as reader and gives the characters more agency. Another thing that isn’t necessarily a fault is that the energy of the book isn’t very “dark”, a lot of the scenes lean pretty lighthearted and despite the character being a prisoner, she isn’t deeply affected by this. There’s a lot of description of outfits and friendly conversations that I feel makes the book lean cosier until we’re suddenly hit by something that is quite dark and awful - I suppose this could be by design though!

That said I do think a lot of people who love Stephanie Garber’s work and ACOTAR would enjoy this one quite a bit.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story felt ethereal and magical. Ertha lives in a temple, learning her craft of true healing. It is a simple life but one important for her to go through to develop her skills until she moves back home. As she reaches that time, a raid occurs that shakes the foundation of her life. With the town and temple bathed in blood, Ertha does everything in her power to save anyone, even her enemies. But lingering can only lead to misfortune and not soon after, Ertha's life path changes drastically with an ominous shift of a red skirt signaling more is at play.

This story took a while to compound but it was such a fun process seeing the story knit together and joining Ertha as her magic and life changed drastically. This story felt like a blissful mix between a Rebecca Ross story and When the Moon Hatched - I especially enjoyed the addition of a glossary and backstory of the gods in the world. There was subtle spice throughout the story which I could have done without but I was thankful it was minor so as to not overwhelm the plot. This book was the epitome of "there's only 50 pages left, how will a satisfying conclusion occur" but it managed it perfectly somehow! I also completely missed it at first but this story has so much symbolism and subtle hints along the way, which truly made it feel complete in all ways!

So I just finished this fantasy debut and honestly, it was a fun ride! M. A. Brown throws our girl Ertha into enemy territory where she’s caught between trusting her mysterious keeper or the soldier who’s sworn to protect her. The author gets really creative with the world-building, pulling from Norse mythology to create something that feels fresh. Fair warning though: the writing style takes some getting used to, but once you hit your stride it actually adds to the otherworldly vibe.

The ancient gods meddling in mortal affairs kept me hooked, and I loved the whole “nothing is as it seems” energy throughout. That said, I saw most of the twists coming from a mile away, and Ertha can be frustratingly naive for someone who’s literally a prisoner with gods pulling strings. Despite those gripes, it’s definitely an entertaining read with solid mythology vibes. If you’re into fantasy with meddling deities and don’t mind a slightly predictable plot, this one’s worth checking out.

Thank you to the author, M.A. Brown, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I'm so happy I had the opportunity to read this ARC! I already want to read book 2!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
While Norse mythology-based and easy to understand, the world building is still unique. The gods are stirring things up and give cryptic warnings of prophecy that move the plot along. Ertha is such a complex main character. Being in her head, while she navigates the enemy's kingdom and learns more about herself, provides a tense mood that kept me guessing and on the edge. I was suspicious of everyone but also wanted to know more about each character.

I appreciated the mythology aspect of the book and the world building, but unfortunately it was just too dark for my tastes and not enough romance.

So… I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I did not like this. I’m so glad others are enjoying it but I cannot say the same for myself. Let me start off by saying I didn’t finish this unfortunately. I had every plan too but I don’t know I just kept falling asleep while trying to read it. The pacing was off for me and the world building isn’t all that great, I just found myself getting confused. All I was able to gather is the people she was living with have all be murdered by the sons (some dark supposedly evil men) and now she’s been kidnapped but has to keep her identity a secret until she can escape. Idk it just felt like this author had part of an idea and we are just coming in at the middle of that thought. Some parts felt random to me too but I guess (hopefully) it all makes more sense if you can sit through and finish it. For me it wasn’t really dark but I could tell it wanted to be. I wasn’t emotionally connected to ertha or fenris or anybody for that matter so I just didn’t care what was going on. I found it hard to get into the story and wanted to cry everytime I checked my progress and saw I still wasn’t to my goal of 50%. I don’t know If im slumping or because I enjoyed my last read (GOT) so much but I’m sorry I can’t do it. This is going in my dnf graveyard, probably never to be revived. *Finished at 34%*

Thank you NetGalley and M.A Brown for gifting me with an arc copy to review!! I really do appreciate it and I’m sorry the story wasn’t for me.

A dark romantasy, with a promising plot that in the end was not for me.

The world building was very good, and the whole “healing is bling” while kidnaped in enemy territory great. But, for my taste the execution was lacking. I know a lot of people like flowery writing but it was too much, and too distracting from the plot.

Also miscommunication is not for me, and the ending felt flat. Unsure if I will read the second book which I had all the intention of doing even if the writing was not my style. Well, we’ll see I really like the world building even if at times the vocabulary felt too crass.

The beginning with the glossary I would recommend it at the end, as it was too much information without even starting the novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory editing for an arc in exchange of an honest feedback. This book will be released on august 6,2025. I think some people may really enjoy it.

4.5 ⭐️ rounding up to 5

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. This book completely pulled me in. The worldbuilding is rich, immersive, and so well done. It has its own lore, language, and pantheon of gods, and yet it was never overwhelming or confusing. There’s even a glossary at the start, but I didn’t need to use it because everything was woven into the story so naturally.

Ertha is a compelling main character, and I absolutely loved her relationship with Fenris. Their banter was one of my favorite parts, and I’m seriously rooting for them. The political intrigue, secrets, and shifting alliances kept the tension high, and even though I predicted one twist early on, the big reveal at the end left me completely shocked. I need the next book immediately! There are so many questions I’m dying to have answered.

Tropes include:
✨ Hidden Identity
✨ Chosen One
✨ Slow burn
✨ Forced Proximity
✨ Betrayal
✨ Magical bond
✨ “Who did this to you?”

If you love fantasy with strong writing, unique worldbuilding, and slow-burn tension, this is definitely one to add to your list.

What an intriguing and stunning book. I really enjoyed it I do hope there’s more to come! Thanks to NetGalley, publishers and the talented author M A Brown.

Following this woman as she navigates enemy territory, a sudden romance, and begins to meet her true self was so wonderful. I cannot wait for more!